Modeling collagen remodeling.

Abstract

Collagen is the main load bearing protein in many soft tissues, and in cardiovascular tissues in particular. In many tissues collagen has a specific architecture that is crucial for the biomechanical function of the tissue. Typical examples are the hammock-shaped collagen architecture in heart valves and a helical pattern in arteries. One of the objectives in cardiovascular tissue engineering is the reconstitution of this architecture. It is hypothesized that the architecture is mediated by mechanical stimulation. Computational models were developed to predict the mechanoregulation of the collagen architecture. This review recapitulates the key modeling assumptions and results achieved to date.